A Ruler's Whims
by Breaker12
Summary: To everyone that has heard of him (bar a few exceptions), Great Red, the so-called almighty Apocalypse Dragon, is the strongest being in existence. They are wrong.
1. Prologue

****Disclaimer:**** I don't own High School DxD or its characters. They belong to Ichiei Ishibumi.

**A/N: **This the rewritten version of Awakening of the Greatest One, and, by extension, The True God, which was supposed to have been the rewritten version of Awakening of the Greatest One (as you can see, it didn't work).

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**Prologue**

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Between the Three Worlds lay the Dimensional Gap, and beyond the Dimensional Gap lay the Void Realm.

The Void Realm had only one inhabitant—its creator and ruler, the Voidborn_. _In the center of the Void Realm, amidst the currents of chaos and the swirls of oblivion, sprawled a massive bed, where the Realm Ruler lay in slumber.

For more than two thousand years he had lain there, unperturbed, in complete isolation.

Suddenly the Void Realm trembled. The Voidborn stirred.

Blinking, he opened his eyes. Relaxed, he looked at the endless darkness that surrounded him and let out a deep yawn. A tear in space appeared next to the bed, disturbing the void, and from the portal walked out a small cat. Without warning, it jumped onto the bed and ran over to the man's side. "Master!" it cried in a human's voice.

"Chaos," the man said, reaching down to stroke his companion's back, "have you been well?"

"No," the cat said, purring. "I've missed you!"

The man smiled. Chaos hadn't changed at all. "It has only been two thousand years, no? And I know you've actually spent most of that time curled up beside me."

"One second is already too long for us to be apart, Master," the cat complained, rubbing its body against the Voidborn's stomach.

The man chuckled. "Don't be dramatic." He used his other hand to stroke Chaos's chin. "In any case, tell me, what has changed?"

"Not much," said Chaos absentmindedly, too busy basking in its master's affection. After a moment of purring, it continued, "But there was a war."

"Oh?" He perked up. "Between whom?"

"The Three Factions."

He frowned. "And those are?"

"The Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels."

The Voidborn's frown deepened. That term was unfamiliar to him; he didn't like the sound of it. "Fallen Angels? What are those?"

Chaos stilled. And then it said, "God… God kicked out the angels who opposed his teachings. They migrated to the Underworld and started the Fallen Angel Faction."

"He _kicked them out?_" he repeated, incredulous. He eyed the cat. "And yet you answered with 'not much' when I asked what changed?"

"Their wings just turned black," the cat said, rollings its eyes. "It's not a big deal. They just changed their name to feel important, really."

"You…" The man shook his head and sighed. Chaos was named Chaos for a reason. "Very well. What about that war you mentioned? Did anyone important die?"

"Important?" The cat shook its head. "Of course not." Chaos looked down, thoughtful, before continuing, "Well, they aren't exactly important, but... God, the Satans, and a couple of angels, devils, and fallen angels did die."

"God? And the Four Great Satans? Dead?" The Voidborn's mouth dropped open. He gave the cat a warning look. "Chaos, I know you're mad we spent so long apart, but I'd appreciate it if you could stop teasing me."

Chaos looked away, murmured something, and then said, "Well, all right. But I wasn't lying; they really did die, and they weren't that important."

He rubbed his temples. "Chaos, they're some of my first creations in this iteration of the universe."

"So?"

The Voidborn sighed. "Forget it. Anything else I should know?"

"Well..." Chaos took a moment to think. "I believe Trihexa got sealed, and Ophis is currently in a fight with Great Red."

"Trihexa was _sealed_? By whom?"

"God. He was weakened after doing the sealing; that was why he died."

"Why would he Trihexa seal it in the first place?" The Voidborn was puzzled. "She's usually so well-behaved."

"She went on a rampage."

"A rampage?" He furrowed his brow. "Why?"

"I've got no idea."

"Haven't you tried to ask her?"

"No."

His eyes slowly narrowed. "Why?"

Chaos lay down on his lap and snuggled up to him. "I don't like her. She wants to steal you away from me."

"Chaos..."

The cat looked away, indignant.

"Come on," he said, adopting a more gentle approach. He started rubbing its ears. "You're both my creations. Be nice to each other."

"By that logic, I should be nice to everyone," the cat murmured.

He sighed again."In any case, it looks like I've missed quite a lot this time. Considering my powers are stable again, I'll pay them a visit. I also would like to hear more of that war."

"Really?" Chaos looked up, jumping off his lap, suddenly excited. "May I suggest something, then?"

He crossed his arms, amused. "Go ahead."

"Well, whenever you leave the Void Realm, you either spend a few days outside, catching up, or you decide to destroy the current universe and start a new one in order to calm your powers. This time, why don't you do something different? Why don't you try to live among your creations for once?"

"Oh?" The Voidborn was interested. "Live among them?"

"Yes," Chaos said eagerly. "I had this idea after reading some novels—they're something like books, I'll explain later. In any case, why don't you try _reincarnating _as a _human being_?"

He raised an eyebrow. "While that does sound interesting, I fail to see the point."

"Master, the point is that it's _interesting. _Haven't you grown tired of your current lifestyle? I think it could be a good experience for you." And then, in a lower voice, Chaos murmured, "I also really miss you, you know? We barely spend time together anymore..."

The Voidborn seriously considered the idea. After a moment, he said, "Just answer me something. Why would I reincarnate in the first place? Humans were created in my image; I look just like them. Wouldn't it be easier to just descend there as I am?"

"Well, yes, but wouldn't you like to experience babyhood and childhood for once? I know you've always been curious."

He smiled. "Well, you got me." He nodded his head. "Very well, that seems like a plan to me. Anything else you'd like to add?"

"Just one thing." After a moment of hesitation, Chaos said, "I think it'd be interesting if you avoided using your powers."

"Avoided using them? Why?"

"Because then it'd be too easy!" Chaos said. "I know what you're like, Master. You'd doubtlessly get bored in a heartbeat, and that's exactly what we want to avoid. Humans have a saying, 'The journey matters more than the destination'. I want you to really_ experience_ a mortal's life. Ideally, your powers would be sealed, but since that's impossible, avoiding using them should suffice."

He thought for a moment. "I won't stop using them entirely, as I have some things I'd like to do"—he grinned—"but I see your point. I'll try to avoid using them as much as possible."

Chaos lit up. "Is it decided, then?"

"I guess it is. To be honest, when you told me about that war, an idea very similar to that occurred to me." He fondled Chaos's ears playfully. "As you know, I've always liked wars, and one of that magnitude should've been quite interesting. Alas, I missed it, but it's not as if I can't make another one, right?" He smirked, then shrugged nonchalantly. "In any case, it's been a while since the last time I did something like this, as you said, and I _am _looking forward to growing through childhood at least once—it should make for an interesting experience, a much-needed change of pace." His smirk broadened. "Who knows? Perhaps it'll even inspire me, and we both know I am in dire need of that; I've been progressing at a snail's pace as of late. "

The bed they were on suddenly disappeared, and the Voidborn stood up. He started stretching himself. "Can you make arrangements?"

The cat smiled. "Already done."

"Perfect."

He opened his arms wide and grinned.

"Go ahead."

Chaos slightly touched him with its paw, and the Voidborn vanished.

"I'll be seeing you soon, Master," the cat said.

With that, it jumped back into the spatial tear it had come from.


	2. Chapter 1

****Disclaimer:**** I don't own High School DxD or its characters. They belong to Ichiei Ishibumi.

**A/N: **Sorry for taking so long (it took me quite a while to figure out what I'd do with this story). From now on, you can expect at least one chapter every week.

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**Chapter 1**

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**I**

Issei liked mornings. His fellow students, on the other hand, seemed to disagree.

With a quick look around himself, he estimated that at least one-third of the class was asleep. Considering they were in the first period, he didn't blame them—it wasn't as if the class was interesting, either. The teacher, who was clearly already used to this situation, didn't even bat an eye. Although Issei _did _feel a little sleepy, he paid attention to the class.

During the lunch break, he stayed in the classroom. Often he ate with some of his classmates, but today he was eating alone. Eventually, the lessons resumed.

School ended in the evening. After packing his materials, he bid goodbye to the classmates he was closer to and made his way home.

Halfway there, however, he sighted a girl. Seeing him, the girl looked down, flustered, but she didn't leave her position. Raising an eyebrow, he kept walking forward until he reached her.

They were currently on a small bridge. The sun was setting and the day was slightly chilly.

Seeing she clearly had business with him, he said, "May I help you?"

The girl started. She looked at him, then left, then right, before lowering her head again, her long black hair swaying wildly with all those movements. Finally, in a small voice, she said, "Hyoudou Issei?"

"Yes?" he asked, looking at her more closely. He didn't recognize her uniform. It definitely wasn't Kuoh's. "Do I know you?"

"Ah!" She shook her head in a hurry. "No, no. I don't think you do. But… I know you."

"Huh." He nodded slowly. "I see. Well, then, what can I do for you?"

"I..." The girl, as if she was steeling herself, took in a deep breath. "I'm Yuuma Amano. I… I often see you cross this bridge, on your way home, and, well… will you go out with me?"

Issei blinked. Although her speech was all over her place, her last words were clear enough. "Yuuma, is it?"

She nodded earnestly.

He sighed. "I'm sorry. I'll have to refuse."

"I—what?" She jumped in surprise. "Is… is it because we don't know each other?" she said, flustered; her eyes were getting moist. "I… I mean, I understand. But… but we can always meet—"

"That's not the issue," he said softly. "Sweetie, I'm gay."

Then and there, the girl froze.

"I'm sorry." Issei shook his head sadly and walked past her. Even after he had left the bridge he could tell she hadn't moved.

Issei smirked deviously.

In his head, a certain dragon was laughing itself to death.

[PARTNER! HAHAHAHA! THAT WAS PERFECT!]

"Yeah," he said, recalling her expression.

[HER FACE! HER BLOODY FACE! IT WAS PRICELESS!] Ddraig cried between roars of laughter.

It didn't seem like he'd stop anytime soon.

Issei chuckled. "I wonder what they'll send next time."

(You think they'll send someone again?) Chaos suddenly jumped into their conversation.

Issei shrugged. "I sure hope they will."

**II**

As expected, they _did _send something. The next day, on his way back from school, he saw someone standing on the same spot the "girl" called Yuuma had been waiting for him. This time, however, it was a boy around his age.

"Oh?" he murmured. "This should be good."

(I can't believe they actually sent someone again… They didn't even bother spacing it out…)

[What's the move this time, Partner?]

"Give me a moment and you'll see," Issei whispered. Straightening his back, he continued walking. As he stepped on the bridge, the boy walked over to him.

"Hyoudou Issei?" he said, blushing a little. "I'm Haruto. Tanaka Haruto."

Issei nodded, feigning confusion. "Do you have any business with me?"

Haruto took in a deep breath—similar to how Yuuma had done—and said, "I'll cut straight to the chase. Will you go out with me?"

Issei suppressed his grin. The fallen angels, in light of their previous failure, hadn't pulled any stops. There was a powerful appearance spell around the so-called Haruto; appearance-wise, he didn't lose at all to Yuuto Kiba, who was considered the Prince of Kuoh Academy.

"I'm sorry," Issei said. "But I'm only interested in reptiles."

The boy called Tanaka Haruto went stiff. This time, instead of walking away immediately, Issei waited for him a little.

"Reptiles…?" Haruto asked after finally collecting himself, flabbergasted.

"That's right. Like snakes, lizards, crocodiles, and turtles." Issei smiled. "Especially turtles. Aren't their shells just sexy? And them necks..."

Having said that, he stepped to the side and resumed his walk, but before he could take his third step, Haruto called out to him. "But I heard you were gay!"

Issei glanced back at him. "I _am_ gay. Nothing beats a _male _lizard."

With that, he walked away without glancing back.

Once again, Ddraig was laughing uncontrollably. Even Chaos was giggling.

Issei chuckled, wondering what they'd do next. By now they should probably already be able to tell that he was just messing with them.

**III**

Issei stared at the lizard, and it stared back at him. He was on his way back home after school, as usual. This time, as he was about to step onto the bridge, he sighted a small, green lizard standing in the same place Yuuma and Haruto had been before.

"..."

[…]

(…)

Neither of them moved. Man and lizard, frozen in place. Issei couldn't believe his eyes. "No way," he murmured, disbelieving. "No fucking way. They… they're not that stupid, are they?"

His worries were for naught, however. The lizard soon broke eye-contact and scurried away, disappearing into a crack in the bridge.

Issei let out a breath. "Now that was _interesting."_

He resumed his walk back home. From what he could see, the fallen angels had given up on luring him, which probably meant they'd take a more _direct _approach next.

"Chaos," he whispered, even though there was nobody around. "You're home, right?"

(Yes.)

"Good. No signs of fallen angels there?"

(None. The house is safe.)

He nodded to himself. "Don't let your guard down. You know what happened last time."

(Of course, Master.)

Arriving home, Issei first greeted his parents before going to his room. Locking the door, he sat down on his bed and started thinking about his current situation. The fallen angels could make their move at any moment, so he had to decide what path he wanted to take.

In reality, he had been waiting for this moment. He had returned from England in order to attend high school here knowing that something like this would happen. If he had wanted to keep his Sacred Gear a secret in the first place, they'd have never found out.

In reality, he had already grown tired of his daily life as a normal human. While he_ did_ have another identity—well, several different identities—he could take on in case he wanted to break away from the routine, he figured it was time to fully throw himself into the supernatural world already.

Now he only needed to decide how he wanted to go about it. He already knew what would happen had he accepted Yuuma's or Haruto's confession. They'd probably go on a date; in the middle of the date, he'd somehow get his hands on the magic circle of a devil; at the end of the date, the fallen angel would reveal herself, kill him, and a devil would then be summoned and reincarnate him—at the very least, that was how the devils expected it to go, he knew.

However, he didn't feel like doing that. To begin with, he had no intention of becoming a devil (why would he want a _downgrade?)_, nor did he like the idea of becoming someone's servant. And, even if he had _wanted _to become someone's literal pawn, he doubted Rias would have nearly enough pieces to reincarnate him—nor did he believe that a fallen angel's attack, even if he let his guard down and willingly received it, would be able to scratch him, let alone kill him.

Such was the curse of awesomeness.

"Master..." Chaos said, undoubtedly reading his thoughts.

"Oh, shut it, Chaos. It's not eighth-grader syndrome if it's true."

The cat sighed. "So what will you do, anyway?"

Issei closed his eyes and continued thinking.

Becoming a devil wasn't an option, but he had to associate with them somehow—that was the reason why came back to Kuoh in the first place. At the same time, they couldn't find out that he already had connections to the supernatural world—because there'd be no fun in that—so he'd have to put up an act.

He blinked.

Putting up an act...

Inspiration suddenly struck, and he grinned.

"There we go."

**IV**

As soon as the bell rang, signalizing lunch break, Issei left the classroom. Without stopping, he walked out of the main school building and made his way to the old schoolhouse. Before long, he found himself standing before a pair of wooden doors. Hanging on them was a plaque that said: _Occult Research Club._

He knocked on the doors twice.

Footsteps sounded on the other side. A moment later, the doors opened, revealing the inside of the clubroom. It was exactly like he had been expecting. Wood-paneled, with Victorian-styled furniture. It definitely matched the vintage look of the old schoolhouse.

Sitting directly opposite him, at the end of the room, was none other than Rias Gremory, Kuoh Academy's number-one beauty, the King—more importantly, one of his stalkers.

"A second year? Come in," she said smilingly. Although she tried to hide it, there were hints of surprise on her face.

Issei stepped inside, and the doors started closing. He glanced to the side and saw that the one responsible for handling the doors was a petite, white-haired girl. He knew her as well. Koneko Toujou. The Rook. Stalker number two.

There seemed to be nobody else in the clubroom. He had expected the Queen or the Knight to be there—stalkers number three and four—but it wasn't as if that changed anything. Rias walked out from behind her desk, while Koneko sat down on one of the couches. They were both looking at him curiously.

"I'm quite surprised," Rias said. "We don't often have guests." She smiled again. "Would you like some tea?"

"Thanks, but I'll pass," Issei said, shaking his head. "I'm Issei Hyoudou, a second-year student. I've come here with a request."

"Oh?" Rias narrowed her eyes slightly. She sat back down on her chair. "A request?"

"Indeed." Issei nodded seriously. "Recently I found about the Occult Research Club; as I'm also a fan of the occult, I wanted to know if I could join you."

There was silence. Rias, who had been about to raise a teacup to her lips, stopped midway. "I beg your pardon?"

"I want to join you," Issei repeated, straight-faced. "I like ghosts, demons, and all those obscure things. Since this is the Occult Research Club, I figured I had finally found people who shared my interests—you know, like-minded people I could engage in conversation with."

"I… we're not really interested in that kind of _occult."_

Behind him, Koneko giggled; Rias sent her a stern look, and the child-like student stopped.

"Ah. Well, then." He clasped his hands. "I think I get it now. You're into aliens, right?"

Rias almost spit her drink. "What?"

"Aliens. You see, I think I saw some UFOs recently. They were this big and—"

"We… we aren't interested in that, either," she said, interrupting him.

"No?" Issei frowned. "Then what kind of 'occult research' do you do? Isn't this the Occult Research Club?"

Rias hesitated. She seemed to be at a loss for words. "Devils, I guess?"

"Aha!" Issei suddenly exclaimed. "That's even better! You see, my grandpa had this book—and it was this really thick, old leather book—that was titled _Records of a Devil Summoner_. It was even in Latin, so I'm pretty sure—"

Rias raised a hand. "I don't really think you—"

He started laughing, startling the two girls. He shook his head. "Nah, I was just kidding. I know what you guys are _really_ up to."

Rias froze; he could hear Koneko getting up from the couch. The red-haired princess narrowed her eyes. He could demonic power building up around her; she was ready to attack at any moment. "You do?" she said coldly.

Issei pretended not to notice. "Of course! The Occult Research Club is a sham, an act."

Rias slowly stood up. "I see. Well, then—"

Seeing she was about to use her powers, Issei cut in, "Be honest, you all just laze around in the clubhouse, right?"

His words were met with silence. Once again, both Rias and Koneko froze, but for entirely different reasons this time. His red-haired stalker blinked. "What?"

"Don't try to hide it," Issei said, opening his arms wide. "Just look around yourself. There's not a single 'occult' thing in his room. No magic circles, no cursed dolls, no cursed paintings… literally nothing! You just set up this club so you could claim the old schoolhouse for yourselves, right? I mean,"—he nodded to the back of the room—"there's even a shower here. This more like a high-class lounge than anything. I must also add that you're doing a really poor job of keeping that a secret."

"I..." Rias was at loss for words. After a moment, she took in a deep breath and collected herself. She shook her head. "I'm afraid that isn't it, either. While it's true that the Occult Research Club is merely a disguise, what we are hiding is something else altogether."

_There we go,_ Issei thought. "Something else…?" Stepping back, he looked at Rias, and then at Koneko, before looking back at Rias. "Don't tell me you're having after-school org—"

"No!" Rias cried out. "No. That's not it." She sighed. "All right, Issei. Since you've come this way, I might as well tell you the truth. We… are devils."

Issei stared at her in silence. Then, he scratched his head. "So is this a role-play club, or…?"

Rias sighed. "Although this wasn't what I had in mind, this should also work." She walked up to him. "Watch."

From her back, sprouted out two small, black wings. Issei turned around and saw that the same things had come out of Koneko's back too.

"Ah." Issei nodded to himself. "So this is the _cosplay_ club."

"These are real wings, Issei." To prove her point, Rias's wings started flapping.

Issei raised an eyebrow. "That's some high-tier cosplay right there." He reached forward. "Can I touch them?"

Frowning, Rias jumped up—and she didn't come back down. Issei stared at her, slack-jawed, as she hovered in the air right in front of him.

"Believe me now?"

Meanwhile, Koneko started to slowly fly around the room.

Feigning utter shock, Issei dropped down on the couch. "What the hell? You're _actually_ devils?"

"That's right," Rias said, lowering herself back down to the floor. "Everyone in the Occult Research Club is. I know you're shocked right now, so bear with it for a moment. I'll try to explain it to you."

Rias proceeded to give him a brief introduction of the supernatural world. She talked about devils, angels, fallen angels, mythology… Although she was wrong in some places, Issei obviously couldn't correct her, so he played along.

"… and that's the gist of it," Rias said, clasping her hands. "Now, Issei, I'll be honest with you. In reality, the Occult Research has been paying attention to you for a while now. We believe that you're in possession of a rare Sacred Gear. More importantly, the fallen angels in this town are also keeping an eye on you. I believe you've met two of them already, although unknowingly. Right now, you're in danger."

"So you're saying that they want to take my Sacred Gear?"

"Precisely."

He continued, "And to do that they must kill me."

"Yes."

"All right." He pretended to be nervous. "And what can I do?"

Rias smiled. He could tell that she had been waiting for this. "We, the Occult Research Club, can protect you. However, that means that you must become one of us."

"By one of us, you mean a devil."

"Yes."

"Well..." He frowned. "While that does sound like a tempting offer, I'm not so sure."

"What?" Rias frowned. "But there are only advantages! You'll even be able to use your Sacred Gear if you become one!"

_Yes, let's just ignore the fact that it means becoming your servant, shall we? _"Well, yeah, but you also said that there humans who could use their Sacred Gears. And… this is a pretty big decision, so I can't just make it right now. Instead, I have a suggestion. Why don't I go through a trial period?"

"Trial… period?'

"Yeah. You know, most programs have a trial period. You use them for a while before you decided whether to buy them. I was thinking of doing the same thing here. I'd hang around with you guys for some time, see what the life of a devil is like, and after a few days, I make my decision. How does that sound?"

Rias and Koneko glanced at each other. Finally, the red-haired princess said, "I believe that could work, yes."

"Great!" Issei stood up. "All right. I gotta go home right now, but I'll drop by tomorrow after school's over. Let's talk more then."

With that, before they could speak, he left the clubroom. As he was walking to the entrance of the old schoolhouse, he came across Akeno. She looked at him in surprise, whereas he nodded at her, before continuing on his way.

(That went better than I thought it would.)

"I know, right? Now I just need to stick around until Kokabiel finally makes his move."

(You really think they'll let you prolong your 'trial period' that much?)

Issei shrugged. "While they wouldn't waiting for a fallen angel to kill me, they probably wouldn't kill me themselves in order to forcefully reincarnate me. I think I'm safe for now."

(And if they decide they'd have had enough?)

"Then I'd suddenly 'awaken' the Boosted Gear. Once they know I'm in possession of a Longinus, they'll wait for me even if I draw it out till the end of time. They wouldn't risk forcefully reincarnating, and thus offending, someone so precious—nor would their fragile integrity allow them to steal someone's Sacred Gear. Worse come to worst, I can always join the Hero Faction through the Pendragons. That means I'll have to fully give up my normal identity, but I don't really mind it that much."

(Well, as long as you're having fun…)

"Oh, believe me, I _am."_ He chuckled. "I've already broken the Magician's Council. Now it's time to step up my game and break the Underworld—and there's no better starting point than the peerage of the strongest Satan's sister. It's time to show those kids what _true _power is like."

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**A/N: **If you have anything you'd like to see in this story, or ideas you'd like to share (or complaints, or things you _don't_ want to see), feel free to send me a PM. Although I won't necessarily implement every idea I receive, I'll definitely consider all of them.


	3. Chapter 2

****Disclaimer:**** I don't own High School DxD or its characters. They belong to Ichiei Ishibumi.

**Beta-reader: **Nutricious.

**Proofreader: **Sjadim.

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**Chapter 2  
**

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**I**

"You must be joking." Issei stared at Rias, wide-eyed. "Please tell me you're joking."

They were in the clubroom. School had just ended. Everyone in the ORC had gathered there. Rias sat behind her desk, as she usually did. Koneko and Kiba sat on one of the sofas, and Akeno was making tea. Rias had introduced him to everyone yesterday. After she explained that he'd be "trial member" of her peerage, although they were a little confused at first, they eventually just shrugged it off and just treated him like a normal member.

Akeno seemed to have taken an interest in him from the get-go. He was a little confused because he knew his current appearance was average at best. He guessed that she could tell, at least vaguely, that he was more than met the eye, which was why she was interested in him. Maybe it was the fallen angel blood in her.

Kiba, on the other hand, was by far the most cautious of the Occult Research Club. While everyone seemed to take everything in stride and just accepted his status as an honorary member, Kiba stole glances at him every once in a while, as if to make sure he wasn't doing anything funny.

Issei didn't mind it. In fact, he thought that Kiba was the only one who was behaving normally. Koneko outright ignored him, Rias believed she was still in control of the situation, whereas Akeno was intent on "getting to know him". Kiba was the only one exhibiting an adequate degree of wariness.

Issei and Rias were currently in the middle of a discussion. She was trying to tell him about contracts.

"Joking?" She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Look." He steepled his fingers over his thighs. The devils of the Occult Research Club stared at him in curiosity. "You just told me you're devils. Powerful, magical beings. Why in the world would you go around running errands for humans? That's stupid."

"It's not stupid," Rias said slowly, frowning. "It's just how we work. We fulfill requests, we earn points. We keep garnering points over time, and eventually, we get promoted."

"Exactly," Issei said, opening his arms wide, as if she had just proved his point. "And that is _stupid_. You're a devil; you're supposed to be _above_ humans. There must be other ways to get promoted. Can't you just steal souls or something?"

Rias blinked. "That… is not done anymore," she said, after a moment of hesitation. "And there are other ways. You can be promoted through military accomplishments. However, because we're currently in a stalemate with the other factions, that route is currently unavailable."

"And there are _no_ other methods? None at all?"

Rias furrowed her brow. Seeing her hesitancy, Akeno spoke up, handing Issei a teacup and sitting by down beside him. "There are Rating Games," she said. Rias glared at her, and she smiled slyly.

Issei looked on with interest. "And what's that?"

"We fight with other devils and their peerages, basically," Akeno continued; Rias's frown deepened. "It's actually much faster than doing contracts." She smiled at him.

Issei turned back to Rias. It seemed like that Akeno wasn't too fond of spending her time doing contracts, either. "All right. Why don't we do _that_, then?"

"I'm not a mature devil yet, so I can't officially show up in the arena. Certain requirements must be met to participate in one," she said, sighing. "Moreover, Rating Games are dangerous. Although it's hard to be promoted through contracting, it's a safe and secure method. You just need patience."

Issei looked at her wide-eyed. "That's just ridiculous. What do you mean, you're not powerful enough? I was under the impression you were strong. Weren't you a high-class devil or something? And didn't you mention yesterday that you had the Power of Destruction, or whatever it was called?"

"I… well, it's complicated." She shook her head. "In any case, you're not even a member of my peerage yet. I don't see why you care so much about this."

"Forget it." Issei sighed, sitting back down on the sofa. He took a sip of tea. "But I'm not running errands for you."

Rias rolled her eyes. "So be it. You're not even a devil yet, anyway, so there isn't much of a point."

With that, she leaned back in her chair. "Anyways, will you be busy tonight? There's a stray devil nearby, and we've been tasked with exterminating it. Since you're still hesitant about becoming a devil, maybe you'll change your mind after seeing what we can do."

"Now we're talking." Issei's expression brightened. "I'm in."

**II**

On his way back home, Issei received a call from his mother, who told him she needed some milk. He took a detour, changing his destination to the supermarket, and ended up walking through the park.

That was when he saw a blonde-haired girl lying on the floor.

[Partner, this aura…]

_Yeah, I know._

Moaning, the girl tried to lift herself off the ground.

"Are you okay?" Issei said, offering his hand.

"Oh." Her eyes brightened, taking his hand. He helped her up. "Thank you very much!"

"It's nothing." Issei knelt and picked up a headdress that had been lying beside her. He handed it to her. "Here you go."

She beamed at him and thanked him again.

He waved it off, and, noticing a half-opened suitcase behind her, with some of its contents spilling out, he helped her pack it up again. Once they were done, Issei said, "I don't believe I've seen you around here before. Are you traveling?"

She shook her head. "No. I was appointed to the church in this city." She pointed at her headdress, as if to emphasize her point. "But I got lost on the way..." She smiled bitterly. "I'm not used to the language, so it's a little hard."

Issei nodded. They weren't speaking in Japanese. Devils weren't the only ones with a Language ability. "If you're looking for the church, I know where it is. I could take you there."

She widened her eyes and beamed at him. "For real? The Lord really does point the way!"

"Yeah, about that..." Issei sighed. "Well, there's something I'd like to ask you first." He pointed to a nearby bench. "Can we talk a little?"

"Talk…?" She tilted her head to the side, then nodded. "Well, sure!"

"Good."

Once they were on the bench, he said, "All right. You seem like a good girl..." he trailed off.

She smiled. "Asia."

"Yes. You seem like a good girl, Asia, so I'll be honest with you. I'm not a normal human."

She stilled, and he continued, "I'm what you'd call a magician, and I happen to know that the church in this town is managed by fallen angels—and I think you know about it too. I don't think you're a bad person, so why don't tell you tell me what's going on?"

She stared at him, hard, and she almost teared up. Finally, she took in a deep breath and started telling him her story—how she was raised in a church, after being abandoned as a baby, and how, during her childhood, she started using her Sacred Gear and became known as The Holy Priestess. Then, she told him that she accidentally healed a devil, was labeled as a witch and banished from the Church, and ended up having to rely on the fallen angels.

When Issei had asked that question, he hadn't expected her to relay to him the story of her life. Nevertheless, he listened to the end. Once she was done, he nodded his head. "All right. You were probably tricked by that demon. And it's not a good idea to rely on the fallen angels. They aren't all bad, but the ones managing that church aren't a good bunch." He paused. "Tell me, if I told you I could get the Church to accept you back, would you be willing to return?"

"Really?" She jumped up, staring at him wide-eyed. "You can do that?"

"Yeah." He smiled. "What do you think? You have a nice Sacred Gear, and you seem faithful enough. If you'd like I can get the Church to take you back."

"I..." She took in a deep breath. "I'd love that!"

[Dammit, but she's a naive one. I can't believe she bought that so easily.]

_Yeah. This is definitely a problem._

"Give me a moment." He produced his cellphone from his pocket and dialed a number. It only rang once before a female voice came from the other side.

It only rang once before a female voice came from the other side, "Sir?"

"You have people in Tokyo, right? Send someone to the station to pick up a girl. She's a blonde nun." He was speaking in Japanese, now, so Asia wouldn't be able to understand him. "Her name's Asia. Take her to the Vatican. She's been excommunicated before, so I want you to accept her back in."

"Consider it done." There was a pause. "Is… is it the Holy Priestess?"

"That one exactly. She has Twilight Healing. I have absolutely no idea why you'd consider letting a girl like that go in the first place."

There was a sigh on the other side. "When I heard that she had been banished, I tried to search for her and bring her back, but she had already disappeared off the radar. How did you even find her?"

"Stumbled across her in a park. Don't ask. Anyway, take her to Griselda. In the past, we discussed some ingenious uses for healing-type Sacred Gears, and I think that this is a good opportunity to test it out. She's also been itching for a new ward. On that note, tell her that the girl also needs 'special training'. She'll know what I mean."

Another pause. "I will, but I don't see why you don't talk with her yourself."

He groaned. "If I do, Gabriel will know, and you know how that will end."

"Ah."

"Anyway, be sure to pick the girl up at the station."

"Don't worry."

He ended the call and nodded at Asia. "Done. There'll be someone waiting for you in Tokyo, who'll take you straight to the Vatican. I'll take you to the train station."

A little stunned, as if she couldn't believe what was happening, Asia nodded and followed him.

[Can't believe she's trusting you that easily. This is ridiculous.]

_I agree. No wonder she's been led around by the fallen angels so far._

Once they reached the station, Asia started, as if she had suddenly remembered something. "I… I don't have a lot of money. I don't think I have enough for a ticket to—"

"I'll buy it for you."

Seeing she was about to go into a thanking-spree, he stopped her with a motion of his hands. "Save it. I'll be right back."

He bought her a ticket, and within minutes she was on the train, bound for Tokyo.

Issei smirked.

"Now time to buy the milk."

**III**

That night, as Rias promised, they went on a mission to dispose of a stray. At midnight, the Occult Research Club reunited in the outskirts of the town, in front of a large, abandoned mansion.

"It smells bad," Koneko murmured, rubbing her nose.

Issei glanced at her but said nothing.

"Rumor has it the stray devil that lives here hunts and swallows humans at night," Rias explained. She turned toward Issei. "Stay in the back; if something happens, run. Otherwise, take this as an opportunity to watch us devils in battle."

As they walked into the building, Rias said, "I'll take this opportunity to explain the traits of underlings."

He raised an eyebrow. "And what does that mean?"

"As I already told you, there was a war a long time ago, and the Devil Faction suffered great losses. Because of that, we developed a system: the Evil Pieces. It's similar to chess. The pieces are—"

"I know chess, Rias," Issei said, amused. "And you can spare me the history lesson. Akeno told me about the Evil Pieces already."

"What?" Rias glared at Akeno, who shrugged, feigning innocence. "Well, all right. What did she tell you?"

"What pieces you all were. She didn't mention traits, however."

"Good enough." As she was speaking, she pushed the door open.

"What a delicious scent..." murmured a voice from the darkness.

Rias narrowed her eyes. "It's coming. Get back, Issei," Rias commanded.

Issei took a few steps back, while the devils moved forward. None of the members of the Occult Research Club seemed to care about the situation. Akeno and Koneko were both complaining about the smell.

"Show yourself, Viser," Rias called out.

A corpse flew out from the darkness, landing beside Issei. He raised an eyebrow at it. It was the torso of a woman.

"What a nice scent," said the voice, as a massive being made itself visible. The upper body was that of a well-endowed woman, but her lower body was gigantic and beastly, with four thick legs and a snake as a tail.

Rias rolled her eyes. "Yuuto," Rias called out.

Kiba stepped forward and confronted the stray devil.

Rias then started explaining about the traits of the Evil Pieces as she called forth every member one by one. Issei pretended to listen. At the end, when it was Rias's turn, Viser was already a step away from death, so she just ended it with her Power of Destruction, and Viser vanished.

"All right." Rias smiled. "Good work, everyone." She nodded toward Issei. "So, what do you think?"

"Eh…" Issei scratched the back of his head. "Yeah… I was expecting something a little more, you know, interesting."

Rias started. "What do you mean?"

"Well, that was pretty dull. Why would everyone need to act to deal with a lousy stray devil?"

"I..." Rias spluttered. She breathed in deeply to collect herself. "We were just demonstrating our powers. I thought that was clear enough. Any of us could've easily handled her alone."

"Yeah… I'm not sure about that." He raised an eyebrow. "Especially you. You told me you had the Power of Destruction or something." He shrugged. "I was expecting something a little bit more exciting than just a small bullet, like vanishing people with just a glare. You just destroyed her corpse. Big deal."

The Occult Research Club just stared at him, speechless.

They returned home in awkward silence.

**IV**

Issei stared at the church. It was late at night, and he had already made sure that none of the devils were following him.

"Well, let's have a look."

He walked over to the large doors and knocked.

Moments later, a young woman opened the door. She seemed like an older version of the girl that had confessed to Issei a few days ago, Yuma.

Seeing him, she started. "You… what are you doing here?"

Issei smiled. "Hello to you too, Raynare."

Her face fell. "You _know_?" she hissed.

"Well, yeah." He shrugged nonchalantly. "So… are you going to invite me inside or do you seriously expect to have our conversation at the entrance?"

Frowning, and more than a little wary, she stepped aside, and he entered. The inside of the church was dark, but there was enough light to walk around without accidentally hitting a wall. "Follow me," she said. As she led the way, she commented, "I knew that something was odd about you."

"People often say that. Is Azazel here?'

She halted, growing dangerously still. After a moment, she took in a deep breath and said, "No, he isn't. And from that question alone it's clear that you aren't just mildly familiar with the supernatural world."

"Clever girl."

Eventually, they found themselves in a large, well-lit room. There were other people there. A tall, blue-haired woman, a middle-aged, black-haired man, and a blonde girl whose hair was styled into twin tails.

"I see we have the full party reunited here," Issei said as he stepped into the room. They turned to look at him in shock.

"What are you doing here?" the middle-aged man, standing up.

"Ah. Dohnaseek, is it? Or would you rather I call you Haruto?"

"Oh!" The blonde girl suddenly jumped, her eyes wide. She pointed at Issei. "That's the gay lizard guy?"

"A lovely nickname you've given me." Issei smiled wryly. "Then again, I'm the one to blame for it, I guess."

"What is he doing here, Raynare?" the blue-haired woman demanded.

"I'm curious about that myself." Raynare sighed, sending Issei a wary look. "He asked me if Azazel was around."

The fallen angels in the room froze.

"Ah, dammit." Dohnaseek sighed. "We messed it up, didn't we?"

"I think we did," Raynare said. She nodded toward Issei. "Could you tell us who exactly you are?"

Issei shrugged his shoulders. "My name doesn't matter right now. What matters are _my_ questions. I know you're all subordinate to Azazel, so why don't you tell me why you're acting behind his back?"

The blue-haired fallen angel frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Come on! I've heard the rumors. Azazel may be a little crazy, but deep down he isn't that bad of a person. And you—you guys have been doing some very questionable things lately. I may be wrong, but I have a feeling that Azazel told you to simply observe me due to my Sacred Gear—so why did you approach me? On top of that, don't think I don't know about the blonde priestess."

Dohnaseek groaned. "So _that_'s why she disappeared."

Raynare shot her fellow fallen angel a glare, and he quieted down. She shifted her gaze back to Issei. "Very well. You're right. We did, indeed, disobey Lord Azazel's orders."

He raised an eyebrow. "That was never a question. I know you disobeyed him. What I want to know is why you're doing it."

Raynare hesitated, and Kalawarner sighed. "The Sacred Gears. We wanted to take them for ourselves. They're wasted in the hands of you humans. By taking them from you, we can grow stronger, and when the time comes, we fallen angels won't lose to the other factions."

"And that's why you betrayed your master?"

She bristled. "We did _not_ betray him. I live to serve Lord Azazel and Lord Shemhazai." The others looked just as offended.

"And yet you disobeyed him?"

"Lord Azazel… he's obsessed with Sacred Gears. He's blinded. He only wants to research them. We—we think it'd be better if we took them. And we're sure he'd understand. It's for the good of the fallen angels."

Surprisingly, Issei could tell that she was being honest. He took a deep breath and sighed. "All right. I think I get it. But you're mistaken. Azazel and Shemhazai—they aren't the rulers of the fallen angels for nothing. They aren't stupid. They know what they're doing. And you must also understand that, in a chain of command, disobeying a superior's orders can't be taken lightly. If I had actually allowed you to go through with your plans, things wouldn't have ended well for you."

Raynare wasn't convinced. "You speak as if you personally know them."

"What makes you think I don't?" Issei smiled mysteriously. "Look, I'll keep it simple. I don't want to kill you guys, but if you keep doing the things you've been doing I won't be able to ignore it. So I have a proposal."

The fallen angels glared at him. They didn't like the way he was talking to them, and he understood why they felt that way. So far, he hadn't shown them his power; he had only gotten their attention due to his knowledge.

So he decided to give them what they wanted.

[Finally.]

_Heh._

Issei allowed some of his power—not his power as a Voidborn, but the power he had acquired after reincarnating—to escape his body. A smidgen of it. Barely an iota.

And the Town of Kuoh shook.

The ground trembled and electricity went haywire. All supernatural beings in the town immediately fell to their knees as an overwhelming pressure covered the town.

The church almost fell apart as the building began to crumble down. The fallen angels fell to the floor, crying out in agony.

Issei then brought his power back into his body and immediately it was over.

The fallen angels shakily rose to their feet. They stared at him in utter fear.

He smiled broadly. "Now, as I was saying, I have a proposal."


	4. Chapter 3

****Disclaimer:**** I don't own High School DxD or its characters. They belong to Ichiei Ishibumi.

**Beta-reader: **Nutricious.

**Proofreader: **Sjadim.

* * *

**Chapter 3  
**

* * *

**I**

"So, what's this about?" demanded the black-and-golden-haired man, one of his eyebrows raised. He stood a few feet away from where Issei sat, staring down at him with his arms crossed. "Are you the one that caused that little incident just now?"

Issei smiled, leaning back on the sofa, feeling the soft cushioning envelop him, hugging his back. They were still in the abandoned church; after his little show of power, the fallen angels had apologized many times over before leading Issei to a comfortable room in the basement—what seemed to be a guest lounge, a room he was sure churches usually didn't have—before calling over their leader, per Issei's demand.

Azazel had arrived almost immediately—no doubt because the fallen angels had told him Issei was the one behind the sudden burst of power that had just happened—and, without even glancing at his subordinates, he had strode over to the center of the room addressed Issei directly.

"I am," Issei said, smiling softly. Azazel had certainly changed, although that was a given considering how much time had passed. He couldn't help but still see the dashing fallen angel as a kid. Azazel had certainly been an endearing child, even if a little on the mischievous side. Judging from his appearance—namely how he dressed and style his hair—Azazel seemed to have never gotten over his rebellious phase. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Azazel."

"I'd like to say the same," said the fallen angel, furrowing his brow. "I'd have loved to, really, but I'm afraid I don't take kindly to those who threaten my subordinates."

Amused, Issei chuckled, pretending not to notice the hanging threat. "Why, I'm not entirely at fault here." He motioned toward the group of fallen angels standing a few feet away from them. "Your lovely subordinates try to kill me, after all."

Azazel's frown deepened. "They what?" As he was about to turn around to face his lackeys, he suddenly stilled and squinted his eyes at Issei. He blinked as if realization had suddenly struck him. "Wait. Aren't you the kid with the Boosted Gear?"

"The one and only."

Azazel narrowed his eyes. It was as if his thought process was reflected on his face. He seemed to have quickly figured out what transpired. "And you said they tried to kill you?"

"That's right."

Azazel slowly nodded his head, his countenance growing frosty. He turned to face his subordinates. "Is he speaking the truth?" he asked, his voice chilling.

No further words needed to be said. Immediately, the fallen angels fell to their knees and started pleading.

"Forgive us, sir!" they cried out in unison, having clearly been planning for this moment.

Raynare, who was at the front, raised her head slightly to meet Azazel's eyes. "We did plan on killing him, yes," she admitted, trembling, "but we never did actually try it!"

"Because they didn't have the chance. They wanted to take my Sacred Gear," Issei added. "There was also another girl, Asia. They were trying to kill her too." He leaned back on the sofa, watching the scene unfold with a broad smile on his face. "They ought to consider themselves lucky, though. I wouldn't have spared them had they really attacked."

"You bloody idiots." Azazel shook his head. Their trembling only intensified. The former Governor General of the fallen angels raised his hand, but midway he paused, as if he had thought better, and dropped his arm. He sighed, looking conflicted. "I'll deal with you later. Now's not the time." His eyes fell on Issei. After a moment of consideration, he said, "I apologize for my subordinate's actions. I'll make sure they are properly punished."

"That's fine with me." Issei nodded his head. He'd have intervened had Azazel attempted to kill them on the spot for insubordination, so he was happy with this outcome. In hindsight, Azazel wasn't the kind of leader to kill his followers wantonly. "That aside, I was wondering if we could talk alone for a moment. I have other things I'd like to discuss with you."

Azazel nodded as if he had already been expecting that. "Of course."

Without needing a command, Raynare and the others immediately fled the room.

As soon as they were gone, Issei stood up wordlessly. A magic circle appeared under his feet and, before Azazel could say anything, it expanded, covering the entire room, before disappearing.

"Magic?" Azazel asked, wary but curious, as he glanced about the room.

Issei shrugged. "Just a little something to make sure nobody can hear us."

The fallen angel remained quiet for a little longer while he looked around before he returned his attention to Issei, a look of appreciation on his face. "I'm impressed. Not only is your raw power insane, but you also seem to be a highly skilled magician."

He seemed to have wanted to say something else, but held himself back. Issei had a good idea of what it was.

"Yeah." Issei waved him off. "That aside, Azazel, I must say I'm rather surprised."

The fallen angel frowned at the intimate tone he had suddenly adopted. "Why?" he asked deliberatively.

"Lust," Issei said simply, to the fallen angel's surprise. "I mean, I always knew you were a horny one, but I never thought you'd actually go and do it with a human woman. Were the angels in heaven not enough for you? At the very least, I guess I have to be thankful you didn't try to force yourself on Gabriel. I don't think God would have let you off so slightly had you done so." Issei chuckled, already picturing the scene in his head. "Then again, I doubt God would've even had the chance to punish you. Gabriel would've probably destroyed you on the spot the moment she thought you had any ill intentions toward her. I mean, although she doesn't look like it, you have to admit she has always been the strongest of you lot."

Azazel stared at Issei blankly, utterly and completely confused. "What—who are you?"

"Come on, must I really spell it out for you, Az?"

Azazel froze. As if a shock had gone through his body, he started trembling from head to toe. "You are…"

Issei sat back down on the sofa, crossing one of his legs over the other. His palms lay above his stomach, his fingers steepled. "It's been a while, kid."

"Grandpa?"

Issei blinked—once, twice. Then, he scowled sourly. "I believe I've already told you numerous times not to call me so."

"Damn. It's really you, isn't it?" Azazel said, as if Issei's displeasure had just proven his suspicions. His eyes were wide. "You're finally back," he murmured, quietly. He seemed to be having trouble coming to terms with the situation.

Issei smiled softly, and Azazel breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly as if to calm himself down. "We thought you had abandoned us."

"I know. I'm sorry."

Azazel shook his head, wry. "Two thousand years. That's a long time, even for us."

Issei sighed. "I was a bit exhausted, what with creating all of existence from scratch. I needed the rest." Azazel chuckled, seemingly unconvinced. Issei rolled his eyes and motioned toward the sofa in front of him. "Sit down, won't you? It's uncomfortable to talk to you like that."

Azazel sat down and asked, "Why are you even doing this, anyway?"

"Doing what?"

"Pretending to be—well, someone else."

"To be honest? Because I thought it'd be interesting," Issei said. "I mean, when I woke up and saw the sad state the world was in, I knew that I had to fix it. At the same time, though, it wouldn't be any fun if I just used my powers to do it, so I figured I'd do something different for once." He leaned back on the sofa. 'So far, at least, I can safely say I've been enjoying it."

Azazel smiled, as if he had already been expecting such an answer. "Who else knows?"

"Gabriel and two others."

"Gabriel knows?" Azazel stilled. Then he laughed. "No wonder I've been hearing news she's been acting strangely lately. And those rumors about her starting her own faction among the angels." He shook his head. "I'll be damned. This sure explains a lot of things. In hindsight, I should have known that something was up."

"I worked hard to keep it all under wraps. You should also keep quiet about this. If everyone knew who I was, nobody would dare to get in my way—and that'd be just anticlimactic, wouldn't it? I'm just telling you about it because I figured it'd be more interesting to have you on my side. As for Gabriel—well, she figured it out on her own, and since I've decided not to use my powers, I can't just erase her memories, can I?"

"Fair enough. And don't worry. I'm also interested in seeing how this will turn out. Then again, it's not as if my promise is worth anything. You could just force me to do it and I wouldn't even know."

"Yeah, no." Issei shook his head. "See, that's exactly what I want to avoid. My policy this time around is not to interfere with the free will of others. So don't worry—you're not being manipulated."

Azazel shrugged. "I guess there really is no point in worrying about that."

"Exactly. With that out of the way..." He leaned forward. "I need your help, Az. I want you to transfer your fallen angels—those four blockheads—over to me."

Azazel nodded. "They're yours. What do you want them for?"

"I need a few spies. I assume you've already heard of the Khaos Brigade?"

"Of course."

"I need people in there."

"I see. But… you do know that Ophis is in charge now, right? Couldn't you just—"

Issei raised a hand, cutting him short. "I already have enough on my plate with Gabriel. As I am right now, I don't think I can handle Ophis too. I'm sure you know what I mean. And, again, I'm trying not to use my identity, remember?"

The fallen angel blinked. "Right. Forget I said anything." He clasped his hands. "In any case, now that you're here, will you be bringing back the ones that died back in the Great War? Namely, God and the satans."

Issei raised an eyebrow. And to think he had pegged Azazel for the smart type. "What, you too?"

"What do you mean?"

"They didn't die, you idiot. They're some of my first creations. They couldn't die even if they wanted to. Only I can kill them."

"Wait." The fallen angel stilled. "They're alive? They faked their death?"

"Obviously. They probably got tired of their life and decided to spice things up."

"Where are they now?"

"No idea."

The fallen angel frowned. "But aren't you omniscient—"

"Dammit, Azazel. I am not using my powers right now. And I'm especially not using my omniscience. Seriously. Omnipotence is nice and all, but omniscience is one scary thing. In the past, I've already tried to activate a couple of dozens of times and every time I do, I only keep it up for a second before I wipe out my memories. It just takes the meaning out of everything and renders time and space irrelevant. Believe me, it's not something you'd want. I can only be thankful I can activate it and deactivate it at will."

"All right. My bad. I'll try to keep that in mind." He suddenly narrowed his eyes. "However, since you aren't using your powers—just what the hell was it that you did not a while ago?"

"You mean the power ripple?"

"Yeah. And the magic you used to silence the room too."

"Well, it's exactly as you said: magic. I'm not using my powers, but I can't fix this messed up world powerless, right? So after reincarnating, I became a magician and gradually developed my magic skills."

Azazel blinked. "How old are you again?"

"Sixteen."

"And you're telling me that you, as a human, became that strong in sixteen years, without using your true powers?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

The fallen angel chuckled. "I'm sorry, but I find that hard to believe."

"That, kid, is exactly why I said this world needs fixing. You have no idea what kind of potential lies dormant inside you. But I created you, so I know. I'm serious, here. Humans, fallen angels, devils, youkai, vampires—especially vampires, might I say—have so much untapped potential it's not even funny. You might find what I did impressive, but all I did was use my brains a little." Issei paused. "Well, in a way, I guess this might be considered cheating, because since I created you all, it's as if I'm always looking at everything from an outsider's perspective—thinking outside the box."

"I think I get the idea." Azazel nodded to himself. "So you mean we fallen angels can grow stronger too?"

"Yeah. Give me Raynare and the others and I'll show you."

"Honestly, you could probably just take them, even if you don't use your true powers, if the power ripple just now was everything to go by. How strong are you, roughly?"

A good question. Issei tried to think of an example. It didn't take him long before he found one. "You know Sirzechs?"

"The Red Satan, yes." Azazel nodded. "He ranked among the top ten strongest in the world, last time I checked."

"Yes. That one. We fought in the past. I think I was fourteen at the time, so it was two years ago."

The fallen angel froze. "Wait. Two years ago? You are the—"

"The Godkilling Magician, yes." Issei smirked. It only made sense for Azazel to know of his other identity. He had been causing quite a ruckus in the supernatural world, after all. "In the flesh."

**II**

The next day, after school was over, Issei made his way to the Occult Research Club. Upon entering the clubroom, he saw that everyone was already there, and they all wore somber expressions.

Four heads turned to face him. Rias sat in her chair, at the end of the room, and stared at Issei. "I'm afraid your trial period must come to an end—at least for the time being," she said.

Feigning surprise, Issei blinked, then halted. "What happened?"

"I'm engaged to someone—someone I don't want to marry," she said, frowning. "But there's little I can do to stop it, so I decided to propose a Ranking Match. If he wins, I'll marry him without putting up any resistance, but if he loses, the engagement is annulled." She sighed and stood up. "Although I haven't proposed this yet, I don't believe it'll be refused. As such, the Occult Research Club is planning on going for a training trip to prepare for the Rating Game—and we can't take you, as you're human."

Issei had to suppress a smile. He had already known all about Rias's engagement. And, not only had he known about it, but he had also been waiting for this moment. He adopted a confused expression. "Wait. An engagement? And you can't refuse?"

"Yes," Rias said.

"Why?"

She blinked. The other devils looked confused too. "Why what?"

"Why can't you refuse it?"

"Because it's something that was agreed upon both our families," she said, puzzled, seemingly unable to understand where she was getting at.

Issei's expression only grew more confused. "All right, correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I've seen so far, I was under the impression that your family had quite a high status in the underworld."

"It has," Rias said, furrowing her brow. "The Gremory Clan is one of the strongest of the underworld. Not only that, my brother is the leader of the Four Great Satans, the strongest devil in existence."

"The strongest devil?" Issei widened his eyes. "Then I really don't understand what's going on."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, your brother is the strongest devil, isn't he? And you come from one of the strongest families. Couldn't you just ask him to annul the engagement? Or could it be you don't have a good relationship with him?"

When he said that, Akeno and Kiba chuckled, while Rias's frown only deepened.

"We have a great relationship," she said, sounding offended. "He dotes on me a lot, in fact."

"He dotes on you, you say?" Issei raised an eyebrow. "And yet he doesn't care that his precious little sister is being forced to marry someone she doesn't like?"

"It's not as easy as you think." Rias sat back down, shaking her head, realizing what Issei was talking about. "Do you think I haven't tried to ask him? It's not so simple. We can't annul an engagement like that for no reason."

"Yeah, no, I still don't buy it." Issei walked forward into the room, stopping directly in front of Rias's desk. "But let's pause that conversation for a moment. Tell me about your fiancé. Why do you not like him?"

"He's a pig," Rias spat, while Akeno nodded. "He's absolutely disgusting. His peerage is actually his harem. He has no morals whatsoever. He sees me as nothing more than a trophy."

Issei gaped. "And your brother, who dotes on you, doesn't mind seeing you, his precious sister, marry such a pig?"

"Again, as I told you, it's not—"

"I think you haven't tried hard enough," Issei said suddenly, surprising her. "I'm sure that if you ask him properly, he'll do it."

Rias hesitated. She narrowed her eyes. "What—what do you mean?"

"You have to be more forceful. You have to make your brother understand you wouldn't marry someone like that no matter what."

Rias seemed to consider it for a moment. "But there's no point in this now, is there? We're going to propose a Rating Game."

"And are you confident in winning? Is your fiancé's peerage much weaker than yours?"

"Well, no—"

"Then don't do it. Call your brother. Right now. I think you can change his mind if you try hard enough."

Despite his words, Issei wanted Rias's peerage to fight against that of her fiancé, Riser. He had already looked into every member of the younger generation of the Underworld, so he had a good idea of what Riser was like. He'd be a good stepping stone for Rias and her peerage. However, he had an even bigger issue to tackle—Rias's personality.

The reason he chose to approach Rias, and not some other devil, was simple. As far as he could, Rias and her peerage were nothing short of wasted talent. They had so much potential—so much—and yet they were beneath mediocre. Issei wanted to fix the world, and he had decided that to fix the devils, he'd start by creating the strongest peerage, with the strongest King. Because of that, while he did want Rias to fight with Riser, he didn't want it to happen under these circumstances. He didn't want her to be pushed back, to fight as a last resort. He wanted Rias to challenge Riser out of her own free will and beat him down.

She had to stop being a whiny, stupid and spoiled little bitch and grow up, and he had decided to make that happen.

While Rias stared at Issei in shock, he revealed to her the plan he had come up with, telling her what she was supposed to say to her brother. The rest of the Occult Research Club also stared at him wide-eyed, gaping.

When he was done explaining, Rias looked down, thoughtful. After a moment of hesitation, she snapped her fingers, and conjured a magic circle appeared in front of her.

Issei smiled, sitting down on one of the sofas, while the rest of the Occult Research Club stared at Rias in expectation.

"Brother?" Rias said, coolly.

"Rias?" said a man's voice, coming from the magic circle. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to marry Riser."

There was a moment of silence. Then, "We've already talked about this, Rias. Listen, I won't—"

"No, brother, you will listen to me," Rias said, her voice sharp. Issei raised an eyebrow. He couldn't tell whether she was acting or whether that reaction had come naturally. He reckoned it was a bit of both. "I will not marry that bastard. You know he's a sleazebag. He's disgusting and sickening. I refuse to marry someone like that."

Another moment of silence. Finally, her brother's voice came, slightly anxious, "Rias, I'm sorry, but—"

"Don't be sorry. Be better. Help me." Rias snapped. "Are you really sending your little sister to marry an asshole like that? Do you have no conscience? Or do you not like me anymore?" She started sobbing. "Yes. That's it, isn't it? You don't like me anymore, so you're punishing me by having me marry Riser. You're giving up on me."

"No! Rias, I'm not! You know I love you!"

"You love me?" she said, disgusted. "Then break off the damn engagement! I know you have the power to do it! Please, brother, don't do this to me. Otherwise, I won't believe you for even a second."

"Rias..." A sigh came from the other side. "All right. I'll talk with the Phenex. I'll cancel the engagement."

The magic circled flickered once, twice, before disappearing.

Rias dropped back down on her chair, a stunned expression on her face.

The other members of the club were equally surprised.

Looking at them, Issei couldn't help but chuckle. "Told you."

His voice made Rias snap from her daze. "I—yes, you're right. I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around this. I can't believe it was this easy."

"Never take things lying down," Issei said. "It's simple. If you don't want something, fight. Don't give up."

Rias nodded slowly. Collecting herself, she cleared her throat and said, "Well then, I guess I'll have to take back my statement from earlier. We won't have to go on a training trip anymore, it seems."

It was then that Issei frowned. "What are you talking about? The training trip is still up."

Rias blinked. "Why? There won't be a Rating Game anymore. We don't need—"

"Yeah. 'Need.' I was meaning to talk to you about this for a while now, so I reckon this is the perfect opportunity. Rias, I may not be a devil, but from what I've seen, I believe that some change is in order. Every day, after school, you and the peerage run errands for humans, right?"

"Yes. The contracts. We need to them to increase our ranking."

"Yeah, and as I already told you before, that's stupid. From what I can see, at this rate, it'll take an eternity and a half before you get anywhere if you keep doing things this way. I believe you need to start seriously considering becoming active in the Rating Games."

She sighed. "We've been through this already. It's too risky."

"Exactly. And that's because you're weak. Just think about it for a moment—if you were strong, would this engagement issue have popped up in the first place? No, because you'd just be able to beat your fiancé's ass back and blue from the start. Although the only devils I know are you guys, I can already tell that devils care a lot about power. And that's a given. Power is everything. So I think it's time you become powerful."

"But how? We don't have time to—"

"Time? Come on, Rias! You and the Occult Research Club spend your afternoons and nights doing contracts, right? Haven't you ever considered taking that time to train? I mean, if it were up to me, I wouldn't even go to school and spend all my time training. But I won't ask you to simply quit school. I think that if you simply spend the time you spend doing contracts and lazing around in the clubroom training instead, you'd rise in the ranks much more quickly."

"But—"

All right. Now as the time to bring out the trump card.

"Before you say anything, Rias, let me ask you something. Your Power of Destruction. Is it hereditary? Do other people in your family have it?'

Surprised, she nodded. "Yes."

"All right. Compared to them, how is your proficiency in using it?"

"I—" Rias blushed. "I'm afraid I'm not really all that much compared to them."

"As I thought. Whom did you inherit it from? Your mother or your parent? Or both?"

"My mother."

Issei nodded. "When your mother was your age, was she better at you in using the Power of Destruction?"

Rias hesitated, then biting her lips, she said, "There's no comparison. She used to be called the Ruin Princess when she was my age. She was quite famous, while I'm…." She sighed.

"And potential-wise? You said your brother is the strongest devil. Does he also use the Power of Destruction?"

"Yes," she said.

Issei frowned. "So how come your brother is so strong while you're—well, so disappointing?"

Rias flushed. "I don't know."

"Well, I do. Because you're not taking this seriously. Your brother, no doubt, spent a lot of time training to get to his level, and so did your mother. But what about you? How often do you train? Once a day? Once a week? Once a month? Or maybe do you not train at all?"

She looked down. The answer was clear.

"As I thought." Issei sighed. "Come on, Rias. You should know better. You belong to a race where power means everything. You shouldn't just train right before a battle. You should be training all the time. Only that way will you grow stronger. I mean, aren't you a self-proclaimed Japanophile? You've read a lot of manga, haven't you? Shounen ones too. Well, I'm pretty you've come across training arcs. Right? How come it never occurred to you to do the same thing?"

Rias looked up. "What should I do, then?"

This was it.

"Train. A lot. Every day, after school. You can summon a portal to the Underworld or something, right? It's simple. As soon as school ends, you all gather here and take a trip to the Underworld, where you train. Then you come back in time for school the next day."

"That's an idea," Rias said, nodding. "But what about you? You won't be able to go. The Underworld isn't a place a normal human can survive."

"Actually, I think I can. I was planning on bringing this up today. You see, a couple of days after we first met, I came across an old man in the streets. He called himself an elder of the Magician Council or something. He said he saw great talent in me and gave me some magic books. I mean, before, I would have outright refused him, but after you revealed to me the existence of the supernatural world, I decided to give it a try, and… well, I know magic now, I guess."

Rias was gaping. So were Akeno and Koneko. Kiba, on the other hand, was frowning.

"You just happened to meet an elder of the Magician Council? And he gave you books about magic?"

"Pretty much."

"That's hard to believe."

Issei snorted. "That's rich. You do realize you're a devil, right? A supernatural existence. I don't think you're in any position to determine what's believable or not."

Issei then raised one of his hands and summoned a small fireball. "See?" he said. "Magic. I wasn't lying."

Their eyes widened. Rias, once she had recovered from her shock, furrowed her brow. "It's still a bit suspicious, though. There's no way a coincidence like that could just happen."

"Well, I see what you're coming from, but there's no other explanation, is there? I mean, you must have already done a background check on me. You should know that before meeting you, I was just like any other high school student."

Rias went silent.

Issei blinked. He looked at the other members of the Occult Research Club.

"Wait. You did do a background check on me, right?"

Rias cleared her throat. "Somewhat. We found out your class and where you live, but that's about it."

"What?" Issei stared at her, hard, even though he had already known about this. "Seriously? You… Ugh. Never mind." He shook his head, as if disappointed. "Well, you'll have to take my word for it, then. I really was just another high school student, and I really did just happen to come across an old man from the Magician Council or whatever that is." He raised his small fireball. "And I really do know magic, as you can clearly see."

Rias nodded slowly, although she still seemed suspicious. "All right," she said. "I believe you." She stood up. "So should we just go to the Underworld right now?"

"Sounds good to me."

The other members of the Occult Research Club nodded. Issei noticed Kiba was staring at him.

Just as Rias was about to summon a magic circle, Issei looked up, as if surprised, and said, "Wait. I just thought of something. Is there some other member of the Occult Research Club? Someone I haven't met yet, maybe. I think I heard you mention at some point you had used one of your Bishops, but I don't see that person here."

"I..." Rias glanced at the other devils, who glanced back at her. "There is someone else, I guess. Gasper."

"Gasper? And where is he?"

"Here, actually."

"Really? Then we should go meet him, right?"

"I… I don't think that's a good idea."

"Come on." Issei frowned. "If you want your peerage to grow strong, everyone must train, right? Take me to where this Gasper is. Let's bring him along."

After a moment of hesitation, Rias nodded her head. "Follow me, then. But whether you can convince him to join us is up to you."

Issei shrugged, a small smile on his face.

There was simply no way he was about to ignore the wielder of the legendary Forbidden Balor View.


End file.
